At adoption fair, image is pet peeve for fans of rats, pigeons

Updated 4:23 pm, Saturday, July 19, 2014

Elsa Glembotzki of Rattie Ratz, a rat rescue and adoption company, holds a rat named Vanilla during the 6th annual East Bay SPCA Adoptathon held at Jack London Square in Oakland, CA, Saturday, July 19, 2014.

Elsa Glembotzki of Rattie Ratz, a rat rescue and adoption company, holds a rat named Vanilla during the 6th annual East Bay SPCA Adoptathon held at Jack London Square in Oakland, CA, Saturday, July 19, 2014.

Matthew O'Brien, center, holds a pigeon that is up for adoption while Melne Murphy, left, and Shapour Mirzai talk about birds at the MickaCoo Pigeon & dove Rescue booth during the 6th annual East Bay SPCA Adoptathon held at Jack London Square in Oakland, CA, Saturday, July 19, 2014.

Matthew O'Brien, center, holds a pigeon that is up for adoption while Melne Murphy, left, and Shapour Mirzai talk about birds at the MickaCoo Pigeon & dove Rescue booth during the 6th annual East Bay SPCA

Matthew O'Brien, right, holds a pigeon that is up for adoption at the MickaCoo Pigeon & dove Rescue booth during the 6th annual East Bay SPCA Adoptathon held at Jack London Square in Oakland, CA, Saturday, July 19, 2014.

Matthew O'Brien, right, holds a pigeon that is up for adoption at the MickaCoo Pigeon & dove Rescue booth during the 6th annual East Bay SPCA Adoptathon held at Jack London Square in Oakland, CA, Saturday,

Bea Pirina, 5, of Kensington, plays with a rabbit that is up for adoption at the Save A Bunny booth during the 6th annual East Bay SPCA Adoptathon held at Jack London Square in Oakland, CA, Saturday, July 19, 2014.

Bea Pirina, 5, of Kensington, plays with a rabbit that is up for adoption at the Save A Bunny booth during the 6th annual East Bay SPCA Adoptathon held at Jack London Square in Oakland, CA, Saturday, July 19,

Jayne Robert-Adams, 12, of Berkeley, pets a Hottot rabbit that is up for adoption at the Save A Bunny booth during the 6th annual East Bay SPCA Adoptathon held at Jack London Square in Oakland, CA, Saturday, July 19, 2014.

Jayne Robert-Adams, 12, of Berkeley, pets a Hottot rabbit that is up for adoption at the Save A Bunny booth during the 6th annual East Bay SPCA Adoptathon held at Jack London Square in Oakland, CA, Saturday,

Elizabeth Farman, 2, left, and Tommy Farinella, 6, pet a rat held by Debra Mendelsohn of the Animal Care and Adoption Network during the 6th annual East Bay SPCA Adoptathon held at Jack London Square in Oakland, CA, Saturday, July 19, 2014.

Elizabeth Farman, 2, left, and Tommy Farinella, 6, pet a rat held by Debra Mendelsohn of the Animal Care and Adoption Network during the 6th annual East Bay SPCA Adoptathon held at Jack London Square in

Elsa Glembotzki, left, of Rattie Ratz, a rat rescue and adoption company, hands a rat named Vanilla to Shira Fitzpatrick, who is thinking of adopting, during the 6th annual East Bay SPCA Adoptathon held at Jack London Square in Oakland, CA, Saturday, July 19, 2014.

Elsa Glembotzki, left, of Rattie Ratz, a rat rescue and adoption company, hands a rat named Vanilla to Shira Fitzpatrick, who is thinking of adopting, during the 6th annual East Bay SPCA Adoptathon held at Jack

And yet, said the rat lovers who had brought cages of them to the SPCA's huge Adopt-a-Thon in hopes of finding happy homes for the weighty rodents, what could be softer, kindlier and more attentive than a rat?

Vanilla was a case in point. Perched on the shoulder of Elsa Glembotzki, 26, a volunteer with Rattie Ratz Rescue in Clayton, Vanilla the rat crawled across Glembotzki's neck, his naked tail trailing 10 inches and his knife-like incisors tucked demurely beneath furry cheeks. Vanilla kept his nose in constant motion, like a vibrating eraser on a tiny pencil.

"Most people don't realize it, but you can adopt rats," Glembotzki said. "It's a thing! They have a bad rap, but that's starting to dissipate."

Some rats are heroes. In Africa, they've been trained to locate land mines. Too light to trigger an explosion, they have helped humans clear thousands of mines. Others sniff out tuberculosis in spit.

"Rats are awesome," said Jenn Paz, 42, of Coastside Cavy in Pacifica, a haven for small mammals.

"We're actually looking for a dog," said Brandi Hallett, 28, of Richmond. But she and her sweetheart, Jack Husting, 26, were drawn to the rat cage, made homier with doll furniture by Paz and Debra Mendelsohn, whose motto at the Animal Care and Adoption Network in San Rafael is "Rats ... to know 'em is to love 'em!"

"I take special-needs rats," she said. "The rats that shelters would otherwise euthanize."

Not every troubled rat may win a chance to join your family, despite rehabilitative sorcery from Mendelsohn and Paz. But some, like Tabitha, learn fast.

Neglected and unsocialized, this gray and white rattus rattus bit aggressively - which rat cognoscenti know is not typical behavior for the sleek creatures.

"She was mean," Paz said.

So Paz took Tabitha and handled her constantly, feeding her by hand and earning her trust. Now about 8 months, Tabitha is calmer, socialized and happy to crawl between Paz's fingers or be held in a comforting cloth bag.

"I think rats are very sweet," said 15-year-old Katherine Madsen of Denmark, gazing at Tabitha.

Near the rats were animals once famously described as "rats with wings" by Herb Caen, the late Chronicle columnist.

Sugar was born with splayed legs - spread horizontally so she couldn't stand up, said Young, who worked with an avian vet to realign them.

"Now she's fantastic!" Young said as the white pigeon - not a dove - strutted on her palm, ignoring the indignity of her pigeon Pampers.

Like rats, which must be adopted two at a time to avoid loneliness and misery, there are special considerations when adopting pigeons. Young doesn't just give them away to anyone who coos appreciatively. She makes a home visit to ensure proper care.

She places about 150 birds a year, but her rescue site is always full.

It's not known how many rats are placed in loving homes. By Saturday morning, just one family had taken a pair home.

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